Amazing Facts Regarding Don Kelly
I am an unabashed Don Kelly fan. I’ll be clear. My agenda here is to highlight good things about Kelly and really just have some fun with small samples and arbitrary endpoints. One should not read this post as something other than a lighthearted love letter to the Tigers utility man.
He is not a great baseball player, but he is a very useful player to have on a major league team because of his versatility and decent all-around game. I’m a fan because I like utility players and I like players who are super-polite and just really enjoy playing baseball. For example, this Onion satire is based largely on me:
I am also, to my knowledge the only person on Earth who owns this article of clothing:
I’m weird, okay, let’s move past it. Let’s talk about Don Kelly’s 2013 season! Everything here is 100% true. Especially the last one.
1. Don Kelly currently has a .340 OBP, the best of his career. It is better than league average. It is also better than Albert Pujols’.
2. Don Kelly is currently walking more than he is striking out 13.2% to 12.3%. Only 7 players with 100 PA are doing that this year. Here they are:
| Name | Team | PA | BB% | K% |
| Norichika Aoki | Brewers | 316 | 8.50% | 5.40% |
| Coco Crisp | Athletics | 263 | 12.20% | 10.30% |
| Alberto Callaspo | Angels | 226 | 9.30% | 7.50% |
| Marco Scutaro | Giants | 284 | 7.70% | 6.70% |
| Don Kelly | Tigers | 106 | 13.20% | 12.30% |
| Munenori Kawasaki | Blue Jays | 183 | 13.10% | 12.60% |
| Dustin Pedroia | Red Sox | 345 | 12.20% | 11.90% |
3. Only 5 players have a higher wRC+ in June than Don Kelly (min 10 PA), if I gave you 100 guesses and no internet access, you wouldn’t guess more than one. Here they are:
| Name | Team | PA | wRC+ |
| Zoilo Almonte | Yankees | 14 | 345 |
| Chris Herrmann | Twins | 12 | 303 |
| Matt Tuiasosopo | Tigers | 21 | 273 |
| Gerald Laird | Braves | 13 | 265 |
| Wil Nieves | Diamondbacks | 17 | 243 |
| Don Kelly | Tigers | 19 | 241 |
4. Don Kelly is hitting 102 wRC+ on the season. That’s better than league average.
5. With runners in scoring position (RISP) this season, Don Kelly is 3rd in batting average (min 20 PA). Only Miguel Cabrera and Allen Craig are better.
6. With RISP this year Don Kelly has a .561 OBP. Only Miguel Cabrera is better. In baseball, not just on the Tigers.
7. He’s also 7th in SLG with RISP.
8. By wRC+, the best all around offensive rate stat, Don Kelly is the 2nd best hitter with RISP this season (min 20 PA) with 264 wRC+. Only Miguel Cabrear is better. Again, in baseball, not just the Tigers.
9. Don Kelly is having a good all-around season, but has decided to be superhuman with men in scoring position:
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | |
| Bases Empty | 0.220 | 0.339 | 0.380 | 0.322 | 101 |
| Men on Base | 0.244 | 0.340 | 0.390 | 0.327 | 104 |
| Men In Scoring | 0.444 | 0.565 | 0.778 | 0.561 | 264 |
10. Don Kelly has been in five 3-0 counts this season. He has walked every time.
11. Kelly has come in to pinch run 3 times this season. He scored twice.
12. When the game is tied, Don Kelly hits .360/.407/.560.
13. At home, Kelly hits .282/.391/.513.
14. Don Kelly has only 3 HR this season, but they have come against pitchers who collectively allow 1 HR every 50.65 batters. League average is 1 HR every 37.86 batters. The pitchers are Samuel Deduno, Justin Masterson, and of course, Yu Darvish.
15. Don Kelly has played all 9 positions in his career. No other active player has done that. Inge just needs to pitch. I was at this game, after insisting to my mother that we shouldn’t leave.
16. This is a picture of Don Kelly and his wife, Carrie. She is Neil Walker’s sister. Those are her parents. She’s is both beautiful, and given what I know about Don, likely a very lovely woman.
17. Don Kelly once lifted Prince Fielder. He is the only person in recorded history to do so.
Don Kelly and Athletes You Can Feel Good About
Don Kelly is coming back!
That was my reaction to the news today that the Tigers had signed Kelly to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training and a shot to make the club as the 25th man once again.
Let’s be clear upfront, I love Don Kelly. He became my favorite Tiger once the Tigers released Inge last year and I’m very excited about the prospect of him returning to the club. I’m not overly optimistic that it will happen, but I’m happy that he’ll get a shot at it.
You see, Don Kelly is everything that is great about baseball. That may seem odd to you considering that Kelly is a bench player and certainly won’t ever be anything more than that.
But what matters here is how much Kelly loves playing baseball and what a nice guy he is. I would never advocate for Kelly to start in centerfield and hit third for my team, but that’s okay, because only one guy can play centerfield and only one guy can hit third. You need 25 guys on a team, and Kelly fills a very valuable role. He plays every position, has a disciplined approach at the plate, and can get the occasional extra base hit.
He runs pretty well and can fill in as the emergency everything. I’ve personally seen him pitch and catch live and he’s the only active player to have played all nine positions in the majors. He’s played 8 of 9 for the Tigers plus a few games at short for the Pirates.
I love versatility. My favorite players are utility players. Maybe that makes me unusual, but I don’t particularly care. Don Kelly can play anywhere. He rides the bench with great enjoyment and is revered by everyone who knows him as, like, the nicest dude on the planet.
When he got sent down last year, the reporters were tearing up. He told them it wasn’t a funeral, and it wasn’t. He had a game winning sac fly in the ALDS and got to be the hero.
He’s the most polite athlete I’ve ever seen and his love for the game and his teammates is obvious. I love Don Kelly and I’m glad he’s getting another shot.
I’m fully aware that a list of the best 25 players in the Tigers organization probably doesn’t include Kelly, but he’s my favorite one to cheer for. The best 24 and Kelly might win one fewer game than the best 25, and I’m okay with that because sports are better when you can put your faith in someone who won’t let you down.
With all the cheating and lying and general unsavoriness going on with Bonds, Clemens, baseball writers, and Lance Armstrong, I’m more excited than ever to support players who are a little less talented if it means they are a lot better people. Don Kelly is one of those guys.
Don Kelly is easy to root for, so I’m hoping I get more chances to do so.
New English D 